The 1975
Gators went 9-2, losing an early 8-7 decision on the road at North Carolina
State, then reeling off six straight wins -- four in Southeastern Conference
play -- before the traditional hiccup against Georgia (a 10-7 loss), followed
by wins over Kentucky and MIami to wrap the
season.

For UF,
ranked 13th in the nation, the reward was a date with No. 17 Maryland (8-2-1),
the Atlantic Coast Conference champion, in the Gator Bowl.

The date
represented a chance to win 10 games in a season for the first time in school
history, a chance to finish a season ranked in the top 10 for the first time
and provided Dickey, in his sixth season at UF, with a shot at his first
postseason win in six tries (0-3 at Tennessee; 0-2 at Florida).

That’s a
lot of firsts for the taking.

Spoiler
alert: As Florida bowl performances go, this one ranks way up there ... among
the worst.

Maybe even
first worst.

To the
time capsule we go.

THE
DATE: Dec. 29,
1975

IN THE
HEADLINES THAT DAY

·High-powered pumps sucked
cold water from a coal mine in Northeastern India in an effort to reach at
least 372 minors trapped 1,120 feet below the surface, but the government said
the rescue could take up to 10 days and that it would be a miracle if any were
still alive.

·As a concession to independent black
African nations, South Africa was prepared to offer to withdraw its troops from
war-torn Angola if its interests in a multi-million dollar hydraulic project
are protected, according to The Johannesburg Times.

·Implementation of the
Egyptian-Israeli peace accord in the Sinai Desert hit its first snag yesterday
when the two sides disagreed on the location and size of an Egyptian early
warning station in the Sinai.

“The
Adventures of the Wilderness Family” -- starring Robert Logan and Susan Damante

ON THE
TUBE

“Baretta”

“The Jeffersons”

“Barney
Miller”

ON THE
RADIO

(Billboard’s
Top 3 songs of 1975)

“Love Will
Keep Us Together” by The Captain and Tennille

“Rhinestone
Cowboy” by Glen Campbell

“Philadelphia
Freedom” by Elton John

FOR
SALE

3-bedroom,
2-bath home (avg. cost): $39,300

1 pound of
coffee: $1.40

Microwave
oven: $168

Gallon of
gasoline: 44 cents

Pair of
Foster Grant sunglasses: $5

THE
GATOR BOWL SET-UP

When
Dickey came to Florida, he inherited a wonderful core group of “Super Sophs” that rewrote SEC passing records. Dickey, though,
wasn’t a drop-back passing attack guy. He preferred the wishbone and eventually
got the right personnel to run his offense, starting with quarterback Don
Gaffney and fullback Jimmy DuBose, who led the league
in rushing in ’75 with 1,307 yards, averaging 6.8 yards per carry.

UF, which
also boasted tailback Tony Green and wide receiver Terry LeCount,
came into the Gator Bowl averaging 27.5 points and 402 yards of offense and
were a 9-point favorite to win the game.

Maryland,
which had lost to Penn State and Tennessee to go with a tie against Kentucky,
wasn’t given much of a chance and you better believe Coach Jerry Claiborne
milked that perception.

“We need
to show people we belong here,” Claiborne said

THE
GAME

So much
for that vaunted Florida offense and all those other milestones for the
taking.

Maryland quarterback
Larry Dick threw a touchdown pass, tailback Steve Atkins rushed for 127 yards
and Mike Sochko kicked two field goals, as the
unranked Terrapins handed the Gators their first shutout loss in more than four
years, strangling UF 13-0 in the 31st edition of the Gator Bowl.

As The
Tampa Tribune put it, “This was the night Florida was supposed to complete a
10-win season for the first time in school history, enhance its chances at a
national top 10 ranking and show the nation it deserved being mentioned in the
same breath with the college football elite. Instead, the Gators were
thoroughly shut down by Maryland’s defense and their grand schemes were turned
into a 13-0 embarrassment.”

Florida
managed just 210 yards of total offense, with all but 28 of them on the ground.
UF quarterbacks Don Gaffney and Jimmy Fisher combined to complete just three of
19 passes and tossed a trio of interceptions, two of which set up 10 Terps points. DuBose finished
with a quiet 95 yards.

Florida’s
last shutout came in Week 3 of the 1971 season, a 38-0 home loss against No. 8
Alabama.

IN
THEIR WORDS

“Mistakes
of execution and concentration will almost always get you beat. ... We had
turnovers early in the game that put our backs to the wall the rest of the night.”

--UF coach
Doug Dickey.

“We felt
we had to play mistake-free football. We just did not turn the ball over. And I
think our defense had a lot to do with the way Florida played on offense.”

--Maryland
coach Jerry Claiborne.

“We didn’t
play like a 9-2 team.”

--Gators
DE Mike Smith.

“This
program’s on the way up. There are a lot of guys behind me who really want to
work for this, push for this, to help Florida become a championship team.”

--Senior
team captain and DL Sammy Green, after his final game as a Gator.

“Everybody
blew up. The Gator Bowl must be our jinx.”

--Florida
DT Scott Hutchinson, speaking about the stadium, not the bowl game, after the
Gators lost for fourth time in five trips to the Jacksonville venue.